The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-05

which at once dispatched thither troops and
rescued them, and eventually, at later
period, brought about termination OF the
| Sioux war; resulting in the opening up lot
settlement by the whites the entire Yellow
| stone country.
One evening, after nearly weeks cessa-
| ton of firing by the Indians on Fort Pease,
and none of them having been seen in the
vicinity of the fort for days, Mccormick
told some of his companions that he pro-
posed to venture out early in the morning
| on horseback and ascertain if there were
really any Indians still in that locality. His
| friends warned him of the danger, but he
secuted their warnings and persisted so de-
| terIninedly that they gave up in despair,
| intimating loudly that they would never
see him again alive.
! True to his determination, the next morn
| ing found him ready for the trip. One OF
his comrades, realizing the risk Mccormick
| would undergo alone, volunteered to accom-
pany him. and at the first approach OF day
| light the gate was opened and the two
horsemen quietly departed, the ominous
warning of their companions still ringing
| in their ears. Proceeding up and down the
valley, which is here wide bottom, they
failed to discern the slightest signs of In
dians, and accordingly came to the conclu-
sion that the Sioux had abandoned the siege
Before returning, however, curiosity led
them to make a reconnaissance to coulee
which came down from the foothills and,
while passing along this shallow coulee,
McCormick's companion remarked that he
saw something like the tracks of Indians IN
the sand only a short distance away and
begged Mccormick to come and see.
just at that moment a whole swarm OF
savages rose up from behind the sage brush
and emptied volley from their rifles. The
distance was less than twenty feet, but evil
IDENTIFY the aim of the Indians was very
poor, owing to their haste and excitement.
McCormicks companion was badly wounded
and his horse, instead of making for the
fort, rushed among the savages and the
rider was, of course, lost. Mccormick,
however, wheeled his own horse toward the
fort and dashed back in the greatest haste,
being surrounded by the red devils, who
seemed TO rise up out of the earth on all
sides. Mccormick being mounted on fine
charger quickly passed the indians on foot,
but was suddenly confronted by two Indian
horsemen, who in some unaccountable man
ner got between him and the fort
McCormick's horse, being very swift, ena-
bled him to pass one of them, though the
Indian gave him a terrible blow on the
shoulders, his rifle having been emptied
when Mccormick was approaching. The
other horseman was now across his path
and waiting his turn, but being under con-
siderable excitement his gun, though so
close to McCormick's face that his flesh was
filled with powder, failed to do any harm,
and the occupants of the fort having heard
the firing. now rushed out to protect their
comrade, and one of the Indians was shot
and his scalp taken. But, poor Mccormick.
His terrible scare during that brief space of
time had nearly unnerved him. Never was
there exhibited a more awful picture OF
fright than was portrayed on his counte-
nance on reaching the stockade. Hair erect,
pale as ghost, he quaked with such fear
that he could not for a long time give any
account of his adventure. In fact, he pre-
sented pitiable spectacle and did not fully
recover his senses for weeks. But the
strangest affair of the whole occurrence
was that his hair and whiskers, which had
been of jet black color and glossy in ap-
pearance, during that ten minutes of peril
became as white as the driven snow and the
stranger could now easily mistake him for
an octogenarlan.